Phantom Legacy
by Onyx Olympias
Summary: Nemesis Re-Told. What if Shinzon was given a chance from the very beginning to change his future? And What if that chance came along with someone to share his destiny with?
1. Prologue Chapter 1

**Phantom Legacy**

Summary: What if Shinzon was given a chance to find his true potential...and someone to share his destiny with?

Rating: R for dark themes and violence. May become higher as the story progresses, consider yourself warned.

**Prologue**

A lonely space pod slowly moved toward nowhere, its scanners searching for a single life form among trillions.   
Inside the pod sat a young woman, aged 20 at most. She eyed the scanners warily, hoping to find something soon.   
She sighed softly, and continued speaking her private journal.

_'I know I shouldn't feel so bitter about my situation. Millions of my kind have done this before, and will after I have as well. But I simply cannot shake this feeling of despair.__   
__To know that for the rest of my life I shall never be alone with my thoughts, or even with my space for some time. __   
__Perhaps I should start at the beginning.__   
__My people have existed for generations with the aid of just about every other race you can think of. __   
__We were once formless entities who could feel nothing, but one day that all changed.__   
__My ancestors came across a group of people who had been stranded on our homeworld.__   
__They were all near death, and had no way of being helped.__   
__The bodiless beings of the planet took over the bodies of the stranded humanoids and could for the first time experience sensation.'_

A light on the console began to blink, indicating a change in gravity.   
_'I must be nearing a system.'_ She thought, as she compensated for the difference.   
She waited for the light to return to normal before continuing with her log.

_'Their excitement was short lived however, when they discovered that they could not sustain the bodies that they inhabited.__   
__They were missing something that these bodies required to stay alive.__   
__Eventually, after leaving the planet and interacting with other peoples, they discovered a notion known to humanoids as a 'soul.' This 'soul' is what most species believed controlled the future and life force of each being.__   
__My people learned that through joining essences with a person outside of our kind, we could not only sustain our stolen bodies, we could also live forever...__   
__After this, my kind began to reproduce with the humanoids they had joined with. Some of the offspring did not require the joining process, while others, like myself would have to search for a non-symbiod mate as soon as they reached maturity.'_She paused to look over all of her instruments.

_'My father was like me, though he unfortunately did not find his true mate until he was midway through his 40's, so he was forced into what we call 'the limbo.' He had to make temporary connections with various women in order to stay alive.__   
__I hope I don't have the same problem.'_

A shrill beeping sound filled the small pod.   
The woman quickly searched her console for the source of the sound.   
She could not believe her eyes when the words: "Match Located." Blinked on and off on the computer's main screen.

"Computer, Define location." She said a little too loudly.

A robotic sounding voice answered. "Match was discovered in a warp capable vessel in this system."

"Define vessel." The woman commanded as she proceeded to scan the area.

The computer relayed the information. "Serial number: unknown, Purpose: unknown, Planet of origin: Remus, Title: The Scimitar."

"Remus?" The woman said, perplexed. "Are there any know human settlements on the planet Remus?"

"Negative," The computer replied. "Remus is a Dilithium mining world, the only known settlements are those of the Reman slaves."

The woman frowned. "Define match genotype." She was beginning to worry that her father had given the computer the wrong search data.

"Processing." The computer said. After a moment it began again. "Match is human, male, aged 20 to 26 years, general health is good, though there is a signature in his RNA that cannot be identified without a full physical scan."

The woman raised her eyebrows. "Ok, that's an unusual find in this part of space."

She laid in a course for the vessel then lay back to wait out the ride.

"Computer head for listed coordinates at top speed."

Chapter 1

Shinzon sighed as he settled into his bed.   
Today had been the beginning of the end of Reman slavery.   
The entire Romulan senate, gone in a matter of seconds. Leaving the space open for him to step in and take control of the people who he had once been forced to call 'Master.'   
He shifted slightly to get more comfortable, another luxury he would have to get used to.   
Comfort of any kind was practically nonexistent back at the labor camps.   
You could get used to sleeping on the cold, hard ground, but the bruises from work, or 'discipline' made sleeping very difficult.

Shinzon scowled as a sharp pain filled his chest. He knew that he did not have much longer to live unless he found Jean-Luc Picard.

As the pain subsided, he found himself exhausted and slowly began to drift into sleep...

WARNING: INTRUDER ALERT   
WARNING: INTRUDER ALERT

Shinzon awoke with a start as the alarms blared throughout the Scimitar.   
He glanced at the time-piece on his bed table and sighed loudly when it revealed he had only been asleep for about 20 minutes.   
Cursing softly, he stood to find out what the problem was when he froze.   
He wasn't a telepath, or gifted with any extra senses, but even he could sense when he was not alone in a room so small as his was.

"Who's there?" He said, not allowing the slightest hint of fear or worry enter his voice.

The intruder said nothing.

"I know that someone is in here." He started again. "If you speak now, I may decide not to kill you."

A figure made itself known to him.   
They stayed in the darkest part of the room, and only stepped forward enough to make their presence known.

"Who or what are you, and why are you on my ship?"

The figure stepped closer to him, this time stepping into the more illuminated part of the room.

Shinzon could barely contain a gasp when he saw who had invaded his privacy.

A tall, human woman stood before him. She gave him a soft smile and nodded her head.

"Good evening Praetor." She said, as if it were a normal situation.

Shinzon was stunned. He looked over the woman before him slowly, taking in every detail.   
He had never seen anything so appealing to his eyes. And that voice...it was the sweetest sound to ever grace his ears. Soft, yet strong and capable.

She wore a heavy cloak over pants that were practically painted on, and made of some black shiny material. These were stuffed into boots that as he looked at them explained why she was as tall as he was.   
The tie that held the cloak on her shoulders made a straight line across her chest, just above the low cut shirt she wore.

The woman reached up and pulled the hood down, revealing more of her face, and a mass of ebon hair, that likely reached well past her waist.

Shinzon suddenly realized that, even though he didn't particularly mind her being on his ship (or more accurately, his bed-chamber) He still wanted to know why she was there.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, trying to make his voice both commanding, yet polite.

"You're dying." She stated simply, as if talking of the weather.

Shinzon looked shocked, but heard from her tone, that she would continue, so he remained silent.

"So am I." She continued. "Or at least I will be if I don't do something soon."

Shinzon stepped back from her, an uneasy feeling settled upon him, making him wish he had a weapon.

"Oh, no!" She amended quickly. "I'm not here to harm you, believe me. I have a way to can help both of us."

Shinzon raised an eyebrow, officially skeptical. "Really. And what might that be?"

Just as she was about to explain, several of Shinzon's guards rushed into his room, all of them heavily armed.

They raised their weapons at the woman.

She looked alarmed and quickly backed away from the gun-toting Remans.

"Praetor Shinzon, I know that you have no reason to believe anything I say. But I can save your life."

Shinzon looked back and forth between the woman and his crewmembers.   
He nodded once, then raised a hand to signal his guards to drop their weapons.

"Leave us." He commanded simply.

The Remans looked as if they would protest, but eventually followed their orders.

Shinzon waited until they were gone before turning back to her.   
The intruder alarms stopped a moment later.

"So, how is it that you can help me?"

The woman smiled softly and began to relay her story.

"So, I would have to become bonded with you?" Shinzon asked about an hour later.

The woman nodded. "Yes, we would be inseparable for the first few days, but eventually the connection will become stronger and allow us to separate and go to different places, as long as we remain within the same enclosure."

"And if I do this, I won't die?" Shinzon asked, his voice more hopeful than he would have liked.

The woman nodded. "Not only will you not die of this illness you have, but you could survive anything else, short of a huge explosion."

"How?" Shinzon asked, the skepticism leaking back into his voice.

"I don't know the schematics of it. All I know is that if I don't join essences with a human male of a certain age bracket within the next few days I'm going to start dying, and if you don't do something soon, you'll already be dead. "

Shinzon sighed. He knew she was right, about him anyway. He would have to ask her later how she knew, but for now he wanted to get some things straight. "Is it permanent?"

The woman shook her head. "Not initially. There's another 'ritual' to go through in order to make the bond complete."

"So what would happen when..." Shinzon started.

"When we break the bond?" The woman finished for him. "To you, nothing right away. You would eventually start getting sick again, and I would have about two weeks to find another suitable host."

"How does it work?" Shinzon asked, standing straighter. He'd already made up his mind, but that didn't mean she needed to know that yet.

The woman smiled. "You simply focus you mind, and let me do the rest. It doesn't even take very long."

Shinzon nodded slowly, coming to terms with his situation. It seemed he had no choice. Besides, he didn't think he would mind having such a lovely creature at his side at all times.

"I accept your...proposal." He said softly moving to stand closer to her.   
He had almost expected her to back away, as most people did when he came near them.   
Instead she closed in on him, until they were toe to toe.   
He could feel the heat of her skin, and her soft breath as it brushed across his bare shoulders.

"Give me your hands." She said quickly, her voice suddenly becoming all business.

Shinzon raised an eyebrow. Now they would be touching. That was something he only allowed of his Viceroy, and even then only when it was necessary.

Nevertheless he gave her his hands, surprisingly content with the feeling of her soft skin against his.

"Close your eyes." She said softly, her voice taking on a lilting tone, as if she was trying to soothe him.

"I...I don't think" Shinzon stuttered as he fought the wave of exhaustion that was settling over him.

"Your mind must be clear." The woman said a bit harshly.

Shinzon surrendered to the calming affect she was having on him. It no longer mattered to him what was going on around him. He just wanted to keep feeling the floating sensation that went through his mind.

Suddenly a sharp pain ripped through his chest. It was the same as the ones that had been happening lately, but tripled!   
He was ripped from the feeling of contentment to one of pure anger.

"What are you-!" He shouted through his gasps.

"Shh..." The woman whispered softly. "I have to do this. I have to take it from you."

"I don't under-." He started, when just as suddenly as it had started, the pain stopped.   
The calm feeling returned, along with another that he couldn't name. It was like every bit of loneliness he had ever felt in his life was being removed.

"How are you doing this?" Shinzon asked in awe.

The woman smiled softly. "You're feeling the connection with me. It is almost complete."

They stood there silently, hands clasped tightly between them.   
Their breathing became in sync and their eyes slowly closed.

In that instant they collapsed onto the floor, hands still linked.

TBC...


	2. Chapter 2

**Phantom Legacy**

Chapter 2

Shinzon awoke to a strange feeling. He looked down to find himself entangled with the limbs of a soft body.  
The memories of what had occurred the night before flooded his mind, and he noticed that the calm feeling from before was still there, but had lessened in intensity during the night.  
He examined his position carefully.  
His arms circled the woman's waist, while hers were wrapped across his neck.  
Her head rested on his shoulder, while her leg draped across his.

Shinzon gasped softly. He seemed to have experienced more new thing in the past few hours than he had in his whole life…most of them rather pleasant.

The woman stirred in her sleep, tightening her grip on him.

Shinzon's eyes widened. He couldn't help the small smile that graced his face.  
Suddenly, this bonding thing seemed much more pleasant to him.

He noticed that her grip suddenly loosened.  
Her eyes were open now, and she had a sort of embarrassed look on her face.

"Um…good morning." She said with a shy smile.

Shinzon blinked a few times, but said nothing.

"I suppose we should probably get up now." The woman said after a few more moments of silence.

Shinzon nodded, but still said nothing.  
He stood, when she removed her limbs from him, then as an after-thought extended a hand to help her up.

"Thank you." She said accepting it. "Oh, goodness, I haven't even introduced myself have I?" She laughed.  
"You'd think I would have at least given you my name, before I give you a piece of my soul."

Shinzon looked confused, and became even more so at her laughter. "No," he said thoughtfully. "You didn't tell me your name."

The woman smiled "I am Heira. It's nice to be bonded to you."

Shinzon couldn't help but be perplexed. Probably because he had never met anyone who was as…amiable as she was. She had smiled more during their short conversations than he had in his whole life.

"I must attend to my duties." Shinzon said, suddenly remembering that he still had to explain Heira's presence on the ship.

"Yes," Heira started. "I imagine your crew will want to know why I'm here."

A thought came to Shinzon that was both unsettling, and exciting at the same time. "How far are we able to separate?" He asked.

Heira shrugged. "I'm not sure, let's find out."

She began to take slow steps backwards. When they were about ten feet apart she stopped. "The strain begins here." She said. "Do you feel a slight tingling sensation all over your body?"

Shinzon nodded.

Heira took a few more backward steps, then stopped suddenly. Shinzon grunted, and looked very confused.

"This is the maximum distance." Heira said through gritted teeth. She stepped forward, allowing both of them to relax more. "Any further would cause pain. There's also a problem with barriers. We can't be on opposite sides of a door unless it's made of something natural like wood. I don't know why, that's just how it works. "

Shinzon looked around his quarters and saw a few problems with that statement. One of them being the fact that he was still in his sleeping attire, and would need to put on his battle uniform before going to the bridge.

Heira smiled slyly and turned her back to him. "I won't peek." She said between soft giggles.

"Are you reading my mind!" Shinzon asked angrily. She'd never said anything about that!

Heira shrugged. "I get tiny flashes of your thoughts, if they're linked to emotions. You can do it to me too, if it makes you feel any better."

It didn't. He was a private person by nature, and having someone near him that had an all access pass to his mind was rather unsettling.

Shinzon sighed and took one of several Reman battle uniforms from his 'closet.'  
He glanced back at her briefly, and noticed that she was still turned away from him.

He set everything out on his bed, then looked back one final time before stripping down.

"You know, it really was too easy for me to get onto this ship of yours." Heira said stretching her arms.

Shinzon's head snapped up quickly. When he saw that she was still turned away from him, he relaxed and straightened the bottoms of his battle uniform.

"How did you manage that?" He asked as he fastened the front panels across his chest.

Heira shrugged. "Apparently your ship's sensors don't notice vessels as small as mine, especially if they don't have any weapons. You should really check that out. All sorts of strange people could come aboard."

She could have sworn she'd heard him snicker softly just then, but maybe she had just imagined it.  
She wished she could just turn around and see. But that wouldn't be proper, would it?

"The Scimitar is only designed to recognize vessels that could possibly pose a threat it."  
Shinzon replied as he slipped his foot through his second boot.  
He paused for a moment as he re-ran her last words through his head.

"Did you just say that your ship has no weapons? None at all?"

Heira nodded, but felt silly doing so once she realized he probably couldn't see that through her hair.  
"Yes. I know it's dangerous considering the area of space that I'm in, but my people have never had any need for weapons. Only strong biological sensors to locate matches for our un-bonded symbiods"

Shinzon stood, now fully dressed. He walked over to the replicator, which was within Heira's field of vision.

He glanced back at her briefly, then did a double take as he noticed her eyeing him with scrutiny.

"What?" He asked self consciously, looking down at himself.

Heira blinked a few times, the looked shocked as she realized that she had been staring.  
She smiled wryly then looked away, finding her boots to be suddenly very interesting.

Shinzon shook his head, then turned back to the replicator. He pressed two buttons then waited.  
After a moment two rectangular objects appeared. He picked them up and handed one to her.

"What's this?" She asked examining the object. It was something covered by a plastic-like wrapper.

Shinzon looked at her strangely. "It's food." He said, taking it back from her.  
He opened the wrapper and handed it back to her.  
Inside was a granola looking thing that didn't seem very appetizing.

Heira smiled anyway, never one to be impolite. "Thank you. I'm not used to having packaged food; my father was weird about stuff like that. He demanded that everyone in his house eat only cooked meals….that were cooked by him."

Shinzon nodded then stepped towards the door.

Heira's eyes widened slightly. This time she was sure she caught a small smile.  
She grinned and hurried after him. 'This may not be so bad after all.'

They walked down the darkened halls of the Scimitar, side by side, their steps nearly in sync.

Shinzon was counting the amount of times he had glanced over and found Heira staring at him.  
This last time had been number 10 and he was ready to snap.

"What?" He asked a bit too loudly. His temper was flaring.

Heira's eyes widened. "Uh….I …I wanted to know…what is your uniform made out of?"

Shinzon looked at her strangely. "Excuse me?" He asked.

"You know, what materials were used?" She amended.

Shinzon thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I have no idea, I never asked. Why?"

Heira shrugged. "I dunno." She started. "It's just pretty."

Shinzon stopped in his tracks. Heira continued walking for a second, then turned when she realized he was no longer next to her.

"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing the confused look on his face.

Shinzon shook his head, and caught up with her. "Nothing, forget it."

They walked a bit longer, when Heira suddenly had a unpleasant thought.

"Now, your crew…" She started slowly. "They aren't going to shoot me or something are they, because I don't think I'd like that very much." She finished quickly.  
Now that she was bonded getting shot wouldn't kill her, but she still didn't want it to happen.

Shinzon shook his head. "No one will harm you unless I order them to."

Heira raised an eyebrow, and caught a definite smirk as it formed at the corner of his mouth.

She gave him a playful glare, then smiled and shook her head.

They reached the bridge a few minutes later. Shinzon took a nervous breath and took the step that would alert the doors automatic sensors.

The doors opened to reveal all of the Scimitar's bridge crew waiting anxiously for their Praetor.

Heira smirked slightly.  
Apparently tongues had been wagging since her arrival, or more accurately, since they had seen Shinzon's response to her arrival. Everyone on the bridge turned as soon as the doors opened.

"Praetor." One Reman said as he stood. His uniform was similar to Shinzon's in that it included the long overcoat that Heira now assumed signified rank. 'He must be important.' She thought.

"Why is this intruder being granted access to the bridge?" The man asked.

"She is aiding me with a problem that has been 'plaguing' me for some time." Shinzon replied, raising his eyebrows slightly to show his Viceroy what exactly he was talking about.  
Shinzon had not yet told his crew of his ailment, thinking it better not to show weakness to the people he was supposed to be leading.  
Now it seemed that he would have no need to tell them anything.

The Viceroy's face changed very little as he eyed the woman standing behind Shinzon suspiciously.

"How do you know she can be trusted?" He asked after a moment.

Shinzon shrugged nonchalantly. "She has as much to lose as I do."

Heira felt a chill go down her spine as the Reman stared at her. She felt him trying to enter her mind, and used every mental shield she had ever learned.  
It was bad enough that once her new host got used to the bond he would have access to her thoughts. This Reman, who so obviously disliked her wasn't getting anything out of her head.

She sensed his anger at not being able to penetrate her mind, and then his retreat back into his own.  
She let her mind relax as the 'threat' was removed.

"Just so I am clear," Shinzon started suddenly. "This woman, Heira is not to be bothered in any way. She is my guest and will be treated as such. Is that clear?"

There were murmurs of agreement from the crew. They all seemed content to follow orders. Though Heira noticed that the Viceroy said nothing.  
This must have been usual, because Shinzon didn't comment on his silence. But Heira couldn't help but feel that there was another, perhaps more sinister reason behind the Viceroy's lack of speech. It also didn't help that he was glaring directly at her with those sickly yellow eyes of his.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

Phantom Legacy

Chapter 3

Barely a day had passed since Heira had arrived on board the Scimitar, and already she was bored to tears.  
Shinzon spent most of his day sitting in his 'Captains chair' giving the occasional order, but mostly thinking.  
She had been standing behind his chair, but had opted to sit beside it instead, even if it was on the floor.

When the feeling of boredom became too strong she would probe his mind, hoping to find something interesting. Unfortunately she had done it so many times in the past hours that he could now tell when she was about to make the mental connection and would give her a glare, or whisper "Stop it." When no one was close enough to hear.

Now they were awaiting a transmission from someone called 'Commander Donatra.'  
And she could sense Shinzon's dislike of this Commander whoever he was.

A beeping noise was heard, followed by a Reman officer's gruff statement that "The Romulans had arrived."

"On Screen." Shinzon said in a bored tone. He would be glad when these 'negotiations with the Romulans were over and he could get back to dealing with his own people.

Heira raised her eyebrows in surprise. Apparently Commander Donatra was a woman.

"Greetings Praetor." Donatra said with false enthusiasm. She wore a slight smile that anyone with sense could see was full of malice.

"Commander Donatra." Shinzon replied nonchalantly. "What brings you here?"

"Commander Suran requests an audience with you." She replied.

Shinzon raised an eyebrow. "Concerning?" He asked.

Donatra smirked again, this time in an almost condescending manner.

Heira could feel that Shinzon noticed it just as she had. 'Well at least he's not completely blind.' 

"Commander Suran wishes to speak to you about the way things are progressing, and how quickly."

Shinzon narrowed his eyes slightly. Heira could see the tension on his face, and feel it through their connection.  
She knew she wasn't going to like this Donatra woman, whoever she was!

She could see him fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

"You may tell Suran that I will have an audience with him at the Romulan Senate tomorrow."

Donatra nodded. It was then that she seemed to notice Heira's presence for the first time.

"Oh, you have a guest, Praetor?" She asked, eyeing Heira with interest.

Shinzon's face went from one of mild irritation, to all out anger.  
More at the idea of her questioning anything he did, than her knowing of Heira's presence on his ship.

"Good evening, Donatra." He replied angrily before closing the channel.

"I don't like her." Heira said quietly so that only he would hear. Though as she said it, she sent him a mental message, more of an emotional feeling that said. 'You shouldn't trust her.'

Shinzon looked down at where she sat by his chair. This time he gave her a smirk she could actually see. "I don't either.

Later that night Shinzon and Heira once again walked through the halls of the Scimitar.  
This time headed towards the shuttle bay where (once again, against his viceroy's wishes) he had allowed Heira's ship to be stored.

"Why are you going to your ship?" Shinzon asked as he led her to the shuttle bay.

Heira shrugged. "To get some things I need. No offense, but sitting around doing nothing for 12 hours isn't exactly appealing to me, especially on an everyday basis, so I'll need something to do!"

Shinzon was curious as to what that something was, but decided to wait and see rather than ask.

Heira pulled out two leather' bags, one much smaller than the other. She smiled, then closed the hatch on her small vessel. "Ok that's it."

When they arrived at Shinzon's quarters he suddenly realized another problem that he had not foreseen the night before.

There were two of them, and one bed.

He was about to say something when Heira beat him to it.

"The connection rejuvenates itself while we sleep. For the time being we will have to share a bed…That's not a problem is it?"

Shinzon blinked a few times, but said nothing.

Heira raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright?" She asked, concerned.  
Then she had a thought. 'No, it couldn't be…Not someone who looks the way he does.'

Shinzon shook his head quickly. "I'm fine. It's fine…"

Heira shrugged. "Ok then, I don't know what kind of facilities you have here, but I'd like to take a shower tonight.

Shinzon nodded slowly, once again plagued by how they would manage that.

"Oh," Heira started. "Well, one of us can go in first while the other stands right next to the shower."

Shinzon shrugged, and shook his head. He was really beyond caring at this point, and quite honestly just wanted to go to sleep.

"You go in first." He said quietly as he moved to follow her into the bathroom.

"You're looking at me, I see you!" Heira shouted through the glass of the shower door.  
Shinzon stood leaning against the glass, facing the back wall.

"No I'm not!" Shinzon exclaimed, nearly turning around to face his accuser, before he realized that such an action would merely prove her point.  
He hadn't been looking…not that time anyway.

Heira glared at him through the glass, even though he couldn't see her.  
"Well I'm getting out now, so close your eyes!"

Shinzon sighed, but did as he was told. He really disliked following someone else's orders, but felt that it would do more harm than good to disobey her.

He heard the door open, then felt the steam as it was released. He found that with his eyes closed, he could sense every move she made, every step closer or further she took.  
He felt her brush against his arm and a jolt went through him.

He struggled not to open his eyes. "What was that?" He asked, figuring she had felt it too.

"The connection." She replied simply. Just as it weakens when we separate, it strengthens as we move closer.

Shinzon nodded and relaxed.

"Your turn." Heira said after a few more minutes of moving around.

Shinzon opened his eyes to find that she had changed into something much more comfortable for sleeping.

Where once a very complicated looking pair of a black shirt and pants had been was now a simple sleeveless gown of the same color.

After realizing that he was staring, and being stared at, Shinzon looked away to find something else to occupy his eyes, and hopefully his mind.

"Go ahead." Heira said, turning around as she did.

Shinzon sat his bedclothes on a small shelf next to the sink, and began to undress.

"So…" Heira started, once she heard him open and close the shower door. "What exactly have I gotten myself into by coming aboard this ship?"

"What do you mean?" Shinzon asked as he turned on the shower.

"Well, from what I gathered about your work today, it sounds like you're in the middle of a war." Heira replied, leaning against the 'glass' of the shower door.

Shinzon found himself wanting to press against the glass to be nearer to her. "Not quite, but it could turn into one…Is that a problem?"

"No," She replied. "I just wanted to be clear on what I should expect."

Shinzon lay awake staring at the ceiling.  
It's not that he wasn't tired, he just feared what sleep would bring.

The night before he'd had dreams of the woman next to him. Only he wasn't sure they were dreams.  
He saw her in a place he had never been. With people he had never seen.  
He assumed that he was seeing glimpses of her life before they had met, and that idea terrified him.  
Not only did he see her in her previous life, but he felt all that she was feeling at the time.  
What if she had similar dreams? What if she saw the feeble, weak boy he had been.  
What if she could feel the pain of his past, the hurt he felt by the various betrayals the universe had wrought upon him.  
What if she though him to be weak?

Suddenly, he felt something warm touch his bare chest, the connection flared.  
The feeling spread until it enveloped his entire left side.  
He looked over to find Heira curled up beside him, her arm draped across his chest in an involuntary embrace, as she was still asleep.

He shifted slightly, hoping to disengage from her. It wasn't that he minded, quite the contrary. But he knew that the connection would be strengthened by their touching, and that wasn't good if he wanted to keep his thoughts to himself.

Heira woke up when she felt him move. She sighed when she heard the thoughts that tumbled through his mind.  
She realized then that she had snuggled up to him in her sleep.

She opened her eyes, and looked up at his face.

Shinzon blinked a few timed when he realized she was awake.

"You know, it's very difficult for me to sleep with you thinking such negative things about yourself." She looked at him seriously.

"You…" Shinzon started unsure of what to say.

"Whatever you don't want me to see…just let it go. I won't think any worse of you. I have a part of your soul remember." She said when he stopped.

She put her head back down, content to go back to sleep.

Shinzon closed his eyes as well, willing to do the same, when he realized something.  
She'd woken up, but she was still firmly attached to his side. If anything her embrace had tightened rather than loosened.

He hesitantly placed his hand over hers on his chest. He wasn't sure why, it just seemed natural.

Heira smiled in her half sleep state. 'That wasn't so hard now was it?'

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**Phantom Legacy**

Chapter 4

Vkruk frowned when he saw the state of his protégé.

Shinzon and Heira were coiled together in the center of the bed, their arms wrapped around each other.

"Praetor." The viceroy said gruffly in an attempt to wake them.

Shinzon woke up immediately, his eyes snapping open at the sound.

He looked up to see what had stirred him awake.

What he saw, was his viceroy standing at the foot of his bed, looking very displeased.

He disentangled from Heira, then sat up quickly. "Yes?" He asked as if everything was normal.

Vkruk narrowed his eyes, but decided not to press the manner. "We have arrived on Romulus. You have an appointment with Commander Suran in one hour."

Shinzon nodded and stood.

Heira awoke as she felt the connection lessen. She looked up to find Shinzon's viceroy staring down at her with an almost disgusted look on his face.

She flinched back a little, straightening her gown, her eyes unconsciously searching for her host.

"We'll be ready in a few minutes." Shinzon said in an official tone. He could sense Heira's unease at having Vkruk in the room, and for some reason, her being upset bothered him.

Vkruk gave a curt nod, then stepped out of the room.

Heira sighed. "I don't think he likes me very much." She said, flopping back onto the bed.

Shinzon scoffed. "I've known him since I was about 9 years old…he doesn't like anyone very much."

He grabbed another uniform from his 'closet' and placed it on his bed next to his new 'house guest' who was in the process of falling back asleep.

"You need to get up." He said leaning over her.

"No." She said simply, turning over.

"Come on." Shinzon said, shaking her lightly. "You know how my Viceroy just looked at you? Well if I let you make me late for this meeting he'll be looking at us both like that."

Heira rolled back over. "Is that horrible, fake woman with the green tinted skin going to be there?"

Shinzon couldn't help but smile at that. "Yes, Commander Donatra is most likely going to accompany Suran to this meeting.""

Heira sighed. "Alright I'll get up…but I won't be happy about it."

Shinzon looked at her confused, before he realized she was joking.

"Get dressed." He said shaking his head.

Heira was amazed at her surroundings. She'd been in extravagant places before, but nothing quite like this.

Shinzon seemed unconcerned with everything but this meeting. She could tell that he had put a lot of work into gaining this position. That much was obvious by the mere fact that he was neither Romulan nor Reman, yet was the leader of one people, and on the way to being that of the other.

He sat in his 'Official business chair' as Heira had dubbed it. Awaiting the arrival of Commanders, Suran and Donatra.

She stood behind his chair, at a distance to his Viceroy that was a bit uncomfortable for her considering the glares and growling noises he would give her whenever she spoke to Shinzon.

The main doors were opened by two Reman foot soldiers.

Commander Donatra stood with a short graying Romulan man with a nervous look about him.

"Good day, Praetor." Suran greeted as they approached him.

Shinzon nodded a greeting to both of them, but said nothing.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, until Shinzon apparently felt he had better things to do than spend his day looking at a bunch of Romulans.

"I didn't call this meeting, Commander Suran." He said. "If there is something you wish to discuss, do get on with it."

"Yes," Suran started nervously." I wanted to talk to you about the speed of this operation. We followed you because you promised us results, yet we have seen none."

Heira followed the conversation carefully until she felt someone watching her. She glanced briefly at The Viceroy who she assumed it was, but he was focused on the conversation between Shinzon and Suran.

She then looked at the woman she had grown to despise without so much as a formal introduction. Perhaps it was because she was channeling Shinzon's feelings. It was, after-all quite irrational to hate someone you didn't even know.

Heira glared at Donatra, who was staring intently at her, as if trying to figure something out.

While the two of them had engaged in a silent staring contest, Shinzon and Suran had finished their conversation.

Suran gave Shinzon a mildly respectful nod, then walked towards the door. Donatra turned to follow.

"Commander Donatra, please remain." Shinzon stated quickly before she could leave.

Donatra turned back around slowly. "Yes, Praetor?" She said with mock respect.

Shinzon narrowed his eyes. "I thought we were clear on what your job is supposed to be. You were supposed to watch Commander Suran and report anything that looked suspicious to me…what part of that didn't you understand?"

Donatra raised an eyebrow. "The part where I'm supposed to be working for you."

Shinzon's face remained stoic, though his hands threatened to rip off the arms of the chair he was sitting in.

"Do not make the mistake of thinking I need your services more than I do, Donatra." He hissed. "You can be easily eliminated, and replaced."

Heira fought the urge to reach out and touch his shoulder. The anger he felt was gong straight through her, and if she could only make the connection he might calm down.

Donatra sneered. "And who would you get to replace me, Praetor. One of your Reman pets?…"

Vkruk growled deeply in his chest.

"Or perhaps your Concubine?" She finished.

Heira blinked twice._ 'Did she just call me a…'_

Shinzon's laughter echoed through the meeting hall. "So that's what this is about? You think that you've lost some edge you had over me? Please Donatra, I could not be more repulsed by you."

Donatra's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing.

Heira continued to stare wildly. _'Did she just call me a…!'_

Shinzon stood from his chair, and gestured for his crew to prepare to leave.

He sensed Heira's anger now that his had subsided, due to the hilarity of what Donatra had said.

Without thinking he touched her hand briefly to make the connection.

He smirked and shook his head slightly. She really must have been loved by her family, whoever they were if something so small as being called a name enraged her so.

She smiled back at him, content to let the matter go. He really did have a nice smile, once he bothered to crack one that is.

She followed him down the few steps of the platform and ignored Donatra as she glared at them.

She could not however ignore the Romulan's last words:

"Does he have a leash for you, or has he trained you to follow him on your own?"

Heira's eyes widened slightly. Her hand twitched, in reaction to the violent feelings coursing through her,

"You said she could be replaced easily right?" She turned to ask Shinzon.

He nodded, not understanding. "Yes, wh-"

Heira raised her left hand and delivered a hard slap to Donatra's face

Shinzon blinked a few times.

The Romulan couldn't believe what had just happened. She stared after them as they continued to walk away. 'No one hits me…' she thought before racing after them.

She latched onto the back of Heira's shirt and turned her around.

Shinzon felt the connection weaken suddenly. It felt at if someone had pulled something out of him.

He turned around quickly to find Donatra about to land a hard jab to Heira's face.

Heira ducked just as Donatra's fist would have cracked her nose. Instead she got clipped right above her left eye, splitting the skin on her brow.

She quickly raised a hand to the wound, pulling back her fingers when she felt the stickiness of blood touch them.

There was murder in her eyes. She had never killed anyone before. Then again, she didn't think she had ever wanted to hurt someone s badly as she did now.

Donatra recognized that she had made a mistake. Besides being significantly taller than her, Heira was also considerably well built. And she didn't think that Shinzon would stand by and let something happen to his 'new toy.'

Shinzon stepped forward quickly to stop them before Heira ended up getting hurt, when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

Vkruk shook his head. "It's best not to interfere with women in a conflict."

Shinzon looked as if he was about to protest when he heard a harsh groaning sound.

Donatra landed heavily on the short stairs to the platform where Shinzon had sat minutes before.

Heira walked quickly over to Donatra as she was getting up.

"What was that about a leash?" She asked standing over her.

Donatra stood carefully, half expecting to be kicked again. She nodded curtly and sidestepped to leave.

She half limped out of the room until she could no longer be seen.

Heira walked back over to Shinzon, but stayed a relative distance from him.

"I think I could have handled that better."

"Did I ruin something for you today?" Heira asked sitting on the bed.

Shinzon stood in the bathroom at the sink. "No, Donatra was a nuisance. Anyway, she won't desert just because of that. Her livelihood depends on advancement in her career.

He exited the Bathroom carrying a small cloth.

Heira looked confused. "What's that for?"

Shinzon sat down next to her. "You're still bleeding."

Heira nodded, and tried to take the cloth from him.

He shook his head, and gently began to dab at the wound. "I can see it better than you can."

She put her hand down and let him tend to her.

Just as she was about to speak again, there was a sharp pain above her eyes.

"Ow, what did you do!" She asked pulling back from him.

Shinzon removed the cloth and saw that he had reopened a small part of the wound.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to." He rushed trying to stop the bleeding again.

Heira placed her hand over his. "It's ok, It just surprised me."

Shinzon looked into her eyes. "Really?"

She smiled. "Of course. If not I would tell you. I have a bad habit of speaking my mind even when I shouldn't…My mother says I ramble too, though I don't know wha-"

Shinzon couldn't take it anymore. Looking at her this close to him, but doing nothing.

He took a leap and did what he had wanted to do from the moment he saw her.

He leaned in and captured her lips with his own.

Heira sat frozen. She couldn't breathe. _'Oh my…'_

Shinzon pulled back, taking her lack of response as a hint that he had done the wrong thing. Again.

"I'm sorry." He said standing up.

Heira suddenly realized what had just happened, and what she was about to allow to happen.

She reached for his hand and pulled him back down.

She trapped his legs under her own, and lowered her lips onto his.

Shinzon pulled back, shocked.

Heira smiled. "Don't be sorry."

And kissed him again.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Phantom Legacy******

**Chapter 5**

_"Are you deaf, boy! I said speed it up."_

_Heira looked at her surroundings and knew immediately that she was in another of Shinzon's nightmares._

_The problem was, she knew that they were not really nightmares, but memories that still haunted him of his tortured childhood.___

_She hated this part of their connection because she would have several of these glimpses a night, but never be able to do anything. ___

_She could watch him be mercilessly beaten, and robbed of his self worth, but never stop his suffering. These were wounds already inflicted, and would probably never quite heal.___

_A burly, uncultured Romulan stood over a 9 year old boy's prone form.___

_The boy had apparently been carrying a load, when he'd tripped on something.___

_"Look at this mess you've made…I think you should be punished." The Romulan said reaching down to grab the boy.___

_"He would work much faster uninjured." A gruff voice said from behind them.___

_The Romulan turned to see who had spoken._

_Heira raised an eyebrow as the scene unfolded; This was something new. ___

_Usually she would have to stand back and watch as the boy was brutalized. This was the first time someone had stopped it.___

_"Mind your own business Vkruk! This does not concern you." The Romulan shouted.___

_Vkruk shrugged. "It doesn't concern me but…I think the mine inspectors may have something to say about it."___

_The Romulan's eyes widened. "What inspectors!"___

_"Just arrived. They're moving through the east sector now." Vkruk said, trying not to smile at the Overseers stricken look.___

_The Romulan cursed and quickly left. Forgetting about the boy.___

_Vkruk leaned over the boy. "I know you're conscious, so you can get up now."___

_The boy looked up fearfully at the Reman. None of them had ever spoken to him before.___

_He looked down shamefully. "If I pretend I'm knocked out they don't hit me…as much."___

_Vkruk smirked. "Good strategy for one so small as you. What's your name?"___

_The boy shrugged. "I don't know."___

_Vkruk looked surprised. "You don't know your own name?"___

_"I don't think I have one." The boy replied, as he began to pick up the things he had dropped.___

_"Hmm, we'll have to do something about that."_

Heira awoke to a slight tugging feeling on her head.

She realized that she and Shinzon had fallen asleep after alternating between kissing and talking for several hours.

She still wore her clothes from the day before, which explained why her legs were asleep.

'Note to self, sleeping in leather pants is bad for circulation.'

She was spooned against Shinzon; her back nestled against his chest.

The tugging sensation still hadn't stopped, and she now recognized the feeling.

"Shinzon?" She started, realizing he was awake.

"Yes?" he replied shifting slightly.

"Are you messing with my hair?" She finished, trying not to laugh.

The tugging stopped immediately.

"No." He lied. Removing his fingers from her hair.

He'd just wanted to see what it felt like, but before long he was twirling it around his fingers and playing with it.

Heira turned around, to see his 'caught in the cookie jar' expression. She smiled and ran her fingers across his temple.

"I don't mind." She said snuggling closer to him. "I know you've been curious to touch it since I met you…before you figured how to block your thoughts that is."

Shinzon tried to shrug, but found it painfully difficult.

He sighed. "I fell asleep in my uniform."

Heira scrunched up her nose. "Yeah, I don't imagine it's very comfortable."

Shinzon sat up slowly, rolling his arms in their sockets.

He knew he was going to have a 'wonderful' kink in his neck for the rest of the day.

"How long before you have to be on duty?" Heira asked moving to sit behind him.

Shinzon looked at the timepiece on the wall. "Not for a while, actually."

"Good." Heira said patting him on the shoulders. "Take this off."

"What?" Shinzon asked, turning around quickly.

Heira laughed. "I'm going to relieve some of your tension. But I can't do that with you wearing this armor thing."

"Why?" Shinzon asked with a suspicious look on his face.

"Because." Heira started, draping her arms over his shoulders. "It's a part of my evil plan to subdue you with affection."

Shinzon pulled lightly on her arms, making her lean against his back.

"I'm not so easy to subdue…You're going to have to try very hard."

"I'd better get started then." She replied as she fumbled with the fastenings of his uniform.

Shinzon moved her hands, then expertly removed the top portion of his battle uniform.

Heira smirked then placed her hands on his bare shoulders.

"Relax." She said, poking him between his shoulder blades.

Shinzon let his muscles loosen, and was pleasantly surprised by the sensation of her relatively strong hands kneading his sore shoulders.

"Hmm," He murmured softly, a small smile gracing his face.

"Nice?" Heira whispered in his ear.

Shinzon nodded and leaned into her touch.

He let her continue for a few more moments. He was still curious to know if she had been having dreams of his past, like he'd had of hers. Even though he knew she wouldn't think any less of him, he'd still always been a private person and didn't like that idea very much.

"What's wrong?" Heira asked, bringing her ministrations to a halt. "There's something bothering you, I can feel it."

Shinzon shook his head. "It's nothing."

Heira raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Tell me what's wrong."

"Why?" He asked turning around.

Heira sighed dramatically. "Because…If something bothers you, it goes through the connection, and thus ends up bothering me, and I don't like being bothered so we have a problem."

Shinzon blinked a few times. "Fine, I want to ask you something."

"And that is?" Heira replied, already having some idea of what he was going to say.

Shinzon paused to choose his words. "When you dream, do you…see things, about me…before you met me?"

Heira smiled softly. "Yes." She said simply. "I see some of the memories from your past…I'm sure you've seen some of mine."

Shinzon nodded. "Yes, but why does it happen?"

Heira shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't happen in every bonding case, so we only learn a little bit about it."

Shinzon seemed to accept that answer without much hesitation. There had been so many changes in the past couple of days that he was content to let it go.

"Tell me about your world." He said suddenly, leaning back into her hands, silently telling her to continue with her massage.

Heira smiled, and resumed rubbing his shoulders. "Well, lets see… There are three groups of people on my planet. Symbiods, like my father and myself, Hosts like you and my mother, and Tweens."

"Tweens?" Shinzon asked, the word sounding foreign on his tongue.

Heira nodded. "Yes. Not all babies on my world are born Symbiods. Sometimes they don't need to find hosts, but they're still immortal like the rest of us."

Shinzon seemed confused. "How would they fit into your society?"

Heira shrugged. "They can become hosts, but it's a bit complicated. Tweens have specific DNA signatures which have to be perfectly compatible with a Symbiod for a bond to work, so every un-bonded citizen has to submit a DNA sample when they're getting close to adulthood to see if they match up with a Tween."

Shinzon frowned. "Do you have to make the bond if you match with one of them?"

Heira shook her head. "No, of course not. I actually had a match, but I chose not to bond with him."

"Why?" Shinzon asked curiously.

Heira frowned. "Because he's an idiot, and I hate him."

She could feel his shoulders shaking with silent laughter, and she smiled because it was the first time she had made him laugh.

"It's true." She said nonchalantly. "I knew him when we were children, and he was always getting into unnecessary trouble. Plus my parents didn't want me to have to be stuck with him."

"You talk about them a lot." Shinzon noted as silence once again filled the room.

"My parents?" Heira asked, unsure of what he meant.

Shinzon nodded.

Heira smiled. "Yeah, they're both great. I don't know much of my family because most of them decided to travel around the universe long before I was born, but I do have my Parents, and grandparents and my Father's sister Claudia and her family."

Shinzon nodded slowly and seemed to pause for thought.

Heira sighed. "You're upset again." She said factually.

Shinzon shook his head. "I'm not, I was just thinking. I do that from time to time."

Heira smiled at his mild attempt at humor. "I'm glad."

"I've never really had a family." Shinzon said after a few moments.

Heira leaned forward and draped her arms over his chest. "What about your Viceroy?"

Shinzon shrugged. "He's the closest thing I've ever had, but there's always been something missing…"

"A link to your own kind." Heira answered.

Shinzon turned to face her, a slightly confused look on his face. "How did you know?"

Heira shrugged. "I feel it when I see your memories at night. Ever since you were a child you've longed for human contact; for a link to your true nature."

Shinzon frowned at that. It was something that had plagued his thoughts for as long as he could remember, and he didn't appreciate having someone know that much about him.

"I understand my nature. I'm a warrior, a fighter." He said turning away from her gaze.

Heira smiled and shook her head. "That's what you do, not who you are. You've never been given a chance to discover who you are because you've always been forced to be what someone else wants you to be."

Shinzon stood suddenly. "What do you know about it! I think I would know myself better than you would!"

Heira rolled her eyes and laid back. "Look, I wasn't trying to upset you. I'm just telling you what I think, whether or not you choose to listen is your business."

Shinzon turned away and walked to his 'closet.'

Heira sighed. "You're mad at me now." She said standing.

Shinzon glanced back. "Get dressed, I'm going on duty."

Heira looked up at the timepiece on the wall. "You still have nearly an hour before you have to go."

Shinzon shrugged. "I have work to do."

Heira rolled her eyes. "Fine, at least I have something to do today."

She walked over to her bags and sifted through them for a moment. She pulled out several items and sat them on the floor.

Shinzon tried to go about his usual business, but couldn't seem to stop looking at Heira.

He knew that she probably sensed his feelings and this bothered him immensely.

How could he ever learn to deal with someone knowing everything about him?

Heira sighed, but decided not to comment on what she had read in his thoughts.

She re-zipped her bag loudly as an outlet for her anger. She knew it wasn't the best time to start trouble but she could still slam things about if she wanted to!

"I'm taking a shower." She said, leaving no room for discussion. She knew he had to follow her so she waited until he moved.

Shinzon glared at her, but picked up his clothes and moved to follow.

Once they entered the bathroom he immediately turned around, not wanting to hear her accuse him of spying on her again. Yes, he had been sneaking glances the last time they were in this situation, but she didn't know that. She had accused him during the few seconds that something else had been on his mind.

He heard the shower start and leaned against the door, resigning himself to wait for her to finish.

Heira held back a sigh as she pulled her shirt over her head.

Shinzon was taking his turn in the shower while she dressed, and she had hoped that he would have forgotten about their small argument earlier. However when she spoke to him as she dried herself off, he had chosen to ignore her.

The night before had been so wonderful, yet somehow in a matter of hours they had managed to turn their relationship from one of tentative affection to virtual dislike.

The worst thing was, she had no idea how it had happened!

Shinzon exited the shower slowly. He caught a glimpse of Heira's bare back just before she put her shirt on.

"What is that?" He asked quietly.

"What?" Heira asked turning around. Her eyes widened suddenly and she quickly turned away.

Shinzon seemed confused, before he realized that he had not yet put any clothes on, or even bothered to place a towel around his waist.

He grabbed a towel from the rack next to the shower and fastened it tightly across his hips.

"Now, what were you talking about?" Heira asked, still facing away from him. She knew that he had covered himself, yet she knew she wouldn't be able to look into his eyes without blushing like a fool.

"Your back." Shinzon started. "I saw something marked on your back."

Heira smiled slightly. "It's called a tattoo." She pulled the back of her shirt up so that he could see it in entirety. "The top portion with the red is my family crest, but I decided to add a little of myself to it.

Shinzon's eyes traced the intricate design. It began on the back of her shoulders and spiraled down the center of her back in an ornate pattern that looked very much like black vines.

"It's permanent?" He asked, fighting the urge to trace one of the various lines with his fingers.

Heira nodded. "Well, in a normal human it would be, though in my case I'll probably have to get it touched up every century or so."

She put her shirt back down, and Shinzon couldn't help the strange feeling that overcame him at the loss of the view.

However, he soon became more interested in what his new 'guest' was wearing.

He had only ever seen her in leather pants and complicated looking tops with things attached to them. Now she wore a simple sleeveless black shirt and a long flowing skirt that flared out at the slightest turn.

"You look…different." He said, curious as to what had brought about the change.

Heira laughed. "Yeah. I'm letting my legs recuperate after being without blood for the whole night."

Shinzon nodded, and grabbed the bottom portion of his uniform. Now that he thought about it, he would much rather be wearing something less restricting too.

"Are we going back to Romulus today?" Heira asked as she listened to him shuffle around behind her.

"Probably not." He said fastening his pants. "Why?"

Heira shrugged. "I don't know. When I was there yesterday it gave me a bad feeling, like it was tearing away some part of me. Isn't that strange?"

Shinzon froze for a moment. He supposed it was possible that she was channeling his feelings toward the planet, and what he had ordered done to the Romulan senate only a few days ago. It was unsettling to think that she could be feeling his guilt. That was his 'cross' to bear, and she shouldn't have to face repercussions for something she'd had no part of.

He resumed his task of getting dressed to avoid anymore of these 'disturbing' thoughts.

"Are you planning on fighting off several people in hand to hand combat today?" Heira asked jokingly as Shinzon strategically placed several intricately designed knives within the crevices of his uniform.

Shinzon looked back at her slyly. "I'm not planning on it, but you never know what could happen."

Heira blinked a few times. She wasn't sure if she should laugh at his mild attempt at humor, or be worried because he was probably only half joking.

"Remind me to stay on your good side, then…Though, for you, harming me would be quite counterproductive."

Shinzon shook his head and continued to 'arm' himself.

"Honestly though, what's with all the weaponry?" Heira asked bouncing from her seat on the bed.

Shinzon shrugged. "I like to be prepared for anything."

Heira smirked. "I'm sure you do."

Shinzon frowned, unsure of what she'd meant by that.

He placed his last knife in its proper place, made a show of straightening his collar.

Heira laughed softly to herself. ' He's so gorgeous.'

She stood quickly and closed her mind. She knew that if he read that thought from her he would only end up becoming embarrassed, and most likely angry with himself for feeling that way.

"I'm curious." She said moving towards him. "How exactly did you manage to go from being an off-world child whom the Remans sympathized with, to becoming their leader."

Shinzon tilted his head slightly, unsure as to why she would even care. He caught a glimpse of the timepiece on his wall.

"That's a long story, which I will tell you later this evening. But for now, I'm needed on the bridge."

Heira nodded, eager to learn about his history from his perspective, rather than watching it every night in her nightmares.

She picked up her small bag and followed him to the door.

After hesitating a moment, she decided she would satisfy another of her curiosities later as well.

"Another thing…" She started as they exited the room.

"Yes?" Shinzon asked, sensing a slight feeling of humor being emitted through their bond. He knew she was trying to get to him again, and steeled himself for whatever she would ask. He was prepared for anything.

Heira smiled. "How would you like to let me try on one of the overcoats for your uniform?"

…Except that anyway.

"Why?" He asked, very confused.

Heira shrugged. "I don't know. I just want to see what it feels like."

Shinzon could not even begin to understand the logic behind that, but he nodded anyway.

"You can wear it all this evening if you like. When I have finished with my duties for the day."

Heira smiled brightly and walked closer to him. She took his hand and squeezed it tightly for a moment before dropping it.

"Well then let's go to the bridge so you can get started."

Shinzon shook his head slightly and resumed walking.

"You did what!"

Heira stepped back from her angry host. If she'd thought this morning was bad, seeing Shinzon after receiving the news that his Viceroy had arranged a meeting with the man he had been cloned from without consulting him first was making her wish he had stayed only mildly upset.

"You gave the order to contact him last week. I was merely following your orders." Vkruk said calmly, unfazed by Shinzon's outburst. He had seen him like this before, and was not in the least bit intimidated by his shouting.

Shinzon took in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself. "Things have changed since then, you know that." 

Heira scowled as she realized what Vkruk had been planning. 

Besides Shinzon and herself, no one knew of his illness besides the Viceroy.

Everyone had just accepted her presence on board the Scimitar because their Praetor had said it was necessary.

But Vkruk knew that she had somehow treated Shinzon's illness, and needed to stay nearby in order for him to remain in good health.

Heira knew that he thought of her as a distraction to his Protégé and had been trying to find a way to get her off the ship since she had arrived.

"I believed it was an opportunity to finally be rid of this distracting ailment. "Vkruk said quietly, glaring briefly at Heira as he did.

Shinzon sighed and stared at the view-screen. It held the images of his two greatest adversaries: The planet Romulus and all its people. And the starship Enterprise, Captained by Jean-Luc Picard.

Both were the roots of all his anger; every ounce of his insecurity.

The Romulans had shown him the very nature of cruelty, and knowing of Picard with all he had, and what he'd achieved was merely salt in his wounds.

"When is the meeting supposed to take place?" Shinzon asked.

Despite his feelings, this meeting would determine the future of the Reman people.

He couldn't make them suffer because he was having problems.

"In two hours." Vkruk replied.

Shinzon nodded and sat in his seat. Heira sat on the floor beside him.

He no longer needed the transfusion now that he had Heira. Besides, the thought of her leaving sent chills down his spine.

No, he would use this as an opportunity to meet the man whom he was created from. To see for himself if he was as great as his records said.

He continued staring out into the view screen. Thinking of the coming rendezvous.

_'So, we will meet at last Picard…'_

**TBC**


End file.
